Content switches are typically used to load balance data requests amount a group of servers (e.g., virtual machines) that provide similar services to Internet users. Such servers typically process different types of content. For instance, some servers may have dynamic content (such as URLs with .php, .asp, etc.), other servers have static image content (such as URLs with .jpg, .img, etc.) and yet others have static HTML content (such as URLs with .html). Content switches can also be used to redirect requests to different server pools on the basis of various request attributes, such as: Language, Cookies and Cookie value, HTTP method, and etc.
Today, most content switching architectures rely on one or more content switches that serve as a common node through which the content data requests are funneled. This architecture causes the content switches to serve as chokepoints for the data traffic. This is especially problematic as the volume of data requests is not static and is often hard to predict. Existing content server architectures also do not rapidly adjust to dynamically changing data request volumes.